Friday, January 29, 2016

Artist shot by police denied treatment in hospitals

An artist, Smart Owie, shot by police during the demolition of the
Artistes Village at the National Theatre, Lagos, said he was being
denied treatment by hospitals because he had no police report.

The
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Owie was shot in his right
leg on Jan. 23 during the demolition of some structures at the village
believed to be illegal.

Artefacts worth over N40
million were also destroyed during the demolition of the village, within
the premises of the National Council of Arts and Culture (NCAC).

The demolition was on the order of the General Manager of the National Theatre, Kabiru Yusuf, who also supervised it.

Owie
claimed that because of lack of police report, hospitals had denied him
treatment, saying that he must produce police report to ascertain the
source of his wound.

“I’m lucky that the bullet did not lock in my
leg but just pierced it, but I need an x-ray to ascertain the extent of
the damage to my leg.

“But I have not been able to do the x-ray
or receive treatment because police refused to give me a report that
could be taken along to hospital for treatment.

“The funny thing is that since it is a bullet wound, people are sceptical of treating me.

“Doctors
at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) with the
intervention of known artistes only helped to apply light treatment.

“But I still need a comprehensive diagnosis of what has happened to my leg which has not been done as we speak,’’ he said.

According
to him, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
who later came after the demolition promised him better treatment.

“He (the minister) also promised that there will be compensation. But as I am talking to you, there has not been anything.

“The
minister saw me, he came closer to my side, I also showed him an x-ray
referral letter from LASUTH that I should bring a police report,’’ he
said.

Owie said that what was most important to him now was his
health and that he wanted to get well to start catering for his my
family.

“I don’t have the minister’s contact number and I do not have that of any of his assistants.

“I’ve not been able to do anything. I have a family. I have three
daughters and my wife is currently pregnant.“My first child is in JSS 3,
the second in JSS I and the third in KG II, the fourth on the way.